Black Ops? MOH? Bugger that...

Go to page

LE

Homefront looks like it could be the next thing in FPS. It's made by the guys who did Frontlines: Fuel of War, and written by the bloke who wrote Apocalypse Now.

Basically, it's set 20 years in the future where Korea has united under the control of the North and the US has fallen apart from dodgy economic choices. Korea invades the US, and you jump in as an American guerilla fighter battling through the mountains and towns of Colorado. That sounds pretty cool, although it does sound a lot like the Ranger missions in MW2. They're also working on something they call "player magnetism", where non-scripted events can be centred around the player in real-time to make the experience more immersive. For instance, an AI teammate could shoot down a helicopter and the thing will spiral down to crash near to you, rather than just randomly on the map.

The things that got my attention most, however, were the new multiplayer dynamics.

The game is set during the invasion stage of the Korean/American war, a couple of years before the SP campaign. It's focussed on 32-player vehicle battles over large maps, but with significantly longer games requiring some more strategy than usual. One game-mode in particular reminds me a bit of the moving control point captures in Team Fortress 2, as the levels are actually split into a number of maps, each progressively closer to one team or the other's base. Starting in the middle, you fight over the immediate objective. Win, and you move onto the next map closer to the enemy. Lose, and you're pushed back to one of your own defensive maps. Each map on the level, while following the overall theme of that level ("farmland" is the example I heard and will use here), will look and play significantly different. For instance, if you start in the open expanses of wheat fields, you could push the enemy back into the industrial plant and find yourself fighting close-quarters amongst silos and machinery.

The other major MP aspect that I like the sound of, and what has been tipped to be the next step-change in online FPS (following ranking systems), is the use of Battle Points:

Players choose from a basic set of classes, or generate their own custom class. As they progress through the match, making kills and securing objectives, they earn BP. This can be traded for new items within the confines of that match. For instance, you could be running along with your assault class, happily gunning down infantry, when you bump into a tank. Normally you would either a) run or b) die. Now, however, you can invest your BP in EMP grenades (to temporarily disable the vehicle) and/or an AT weapon. Note, of course, that spending your BP too early on stuff like this will make it more difficult to save for an Apache or an Abrams, so you'll be constantly assessing the risk/reward of any situation. The game also tracks in-match economy, so if one team is kicking arrse and buying all the tanks early their vehicles will be made progressively more expensive to prevent them taking over. Conversely, the opposition's AT weapons will be more accessible to give them a chance to regain the ground. The game has been weighted in this way to allow players to progress gradually from quick, intense infantry battles at the start of the round, to pitched armour battles later on. It sounds like each match will be a huge mix of locations, weapons, tactics and goals so you can experience every element of the game in one round.

It's due out in March. Oh, and they learnt from MW2's mistakes and will let people create dedicated servers. Rejoice!

BrunoNoMedals: Watery-eyed dealer of paperwork.

swordman said:

The Company never came out of action until they reached Bremen. The only time we lost contact with the enemy was when they ran faster that we could catch them.

LE

I should also point out that your "catalogue" of available items, on which you spend BP during a match, is determined by your class. You don't get to choose from everything at any one time. If you're doing a custom class, you get to choose your own catalogue.

I assume you unlock new weapons and catalogue items as you progress through the levelling system, but I've not seen that stated explicitly.

BrunoNoMedals: Watery-eyed dealer of paperwork.

swordman said:

The Company never came out of action until they reached Bremen. The only time we lost contact with the enemy was when they ran faster that we could catch them.

PrinceAlbert

Guest

Old-Salt

The video states the footage was taken entirely from multiplayer game play, yet when you watch it, most of it is blatently from cut scenes. Unless of course your player spends most of his time hovering around the maps at jaunty angles.

LE

The video states the footage was taken entirely from multiplayer game play, yet when you watch it, most of it is blatently from cut scenes. Unless of course your player spends most of his time hovering around the maps at jaunty angles.

LE

If there's enough focus on the single player campaign then this is totally worth a look but if not then I'll probably pass it by.

Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of multiplayer but the gaming industry is completely driven by it these days to the point where the game's general premise and storyline are lost. MOH had some real potential, it really did but instead we had 4 hours of dross shovelled into our throats to make way for a multiplayer that was essentially shit.

LE

If there's enough focus on the single player campaign then this is totally worth a look but if not then I'll probably pass it by.

Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of multiplayer but the gaming industry is completely driven by it these days to the point where the game's general premise and storyline are lost. MOH had some real potential, it really did but instead we had 4 hours of dross shovelled into our throats to make way for a multiplayer that was essentially shit.

LE

The only thing it had going for it was the novelty of blowing some bugger up with those radio controlled helicopters.

Steven Seagull is a rotten, internet bully, a seventh generation ****, he was born in a state of misery, half-cooked with a mean streak a mile wide. Over the years he has developed a passion for human oddities, presdigitation, tattooing and torture.

LE

I've said in the past that I'd rent this when it comes out and I think I'll stand by that.

But the reviews that the game is getting from Xbox users in the U.S, and the gaming sites, I think I'll end up buying it. It looks amazing.
I've had a look on YouTube for some multiplayer footage, (not cinematic but proper games taking progress) and it looks gorgeous.

Tremaine

Guest

Just spent the last half hour or so on the official website and watching trailers. Out on March 15 ?, good, the videos for Homefront look the bollox. Nice change from the usual stuff, MoH./Black Ops, as the OP says.